Sample LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the editor:

Is it getting crowded in here? Yep, you may have noticed. So did I. In fact, the world population is about to hit 7 billion people.

The burden of that many people — compounded by a staggering consumption of natural resources — is bound to come with a cost. Sadly, the price is being paid by plants and animals around the globe. Scientists tell us we’re in the midst of an “extinction crisis” — species are disappearing at 100 to 1,000 times the normal rate.

It’s time to start talking about human overpopulation. How many more people can this planet take, and what are we giving up in return?

There are good, common sense solutions out there, including providing birth control around the world for all women who want it. That’s just one step — but the first is simply to start talking about this problem.